Thanksgiving is an exciting time of year for many people. There is typically a feast, an afternoon of chatting and getting together with friends, and preparation for the exciting Black Friday morning the following day.
This should be an exciting and positive time of year, but it can all go wrong if you decide to drink and drive. Remember, food can contain alcohol, and your drinks can, too. That means that your blood alcohol content might be higher than you expect.
Drinking during Thanksgiving makes this one of the most dangerous holidays of the year
Between 2013 and 2018, over 800 people died during alcohol-related collisions over the Thanksgiving holiday period. Did you know that over 45 million people plan to go on a road trip during Thanksgiving? That extra-busy traffic just makes it more likely that a collision will take place.
Did you know that Blackout Wednesday is one of the biggest drinking nights of the year?
Yes, Thanksgiving Eve is actually one of the biggest drinking nights of the year. People may have just come into town and met up with friends or relatives, so many go out to get drinks or drink at home. Bars report that their sales increase by 270% on beers on Blackout Wednesday, while they go up by 114% on hard liquor.
It’s also been reported that a third of all the fatalities that take place over the Thanksgiving holiday period involved drunk drivers. That’s a serious problem that should be addressed.
What can you do to reduce the risk of a DUI or drunk-driving accident during Thanksgiving?
If you want to reduce the risk of a DUI or drunk-driving crash, then you should do everything you can to avoid drinking or to make sure you have a plan for getting from point A to point B without relying on driving yourself. You can call a cab, use a ride-share service, take a ride with a sober friend or family member or just plan to stay in a hotel or overnight at someone’s home. Even if there are some minor inconveniences to you, it’s better to be inconvenienced than to deal with thousands of dollars in fines and expenses related to a DUI or the reality of getting into a serious crash and potentially hurting yourself or others who are on the roads. Be cautious, so you can enjoy your holiday without risk.